The Third Man.

8vo. 157 pp., final blank page. Contemporary full gray cloth backed in red cloth with black stamped spine-title. With original printed dust jacket. First edition. In the preface Greene states that "'The Third Man' was never written to be read but only to be seen." Indeed, the novella was written as something of a screen treatment, a precursor to the screenplay he would ultimately write for the film adaptation, and not published until after the movie premiered. The 1949 film was directed by Carol Reed and starred Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Garnering three Academy Award nominations and winning for Best Cinematography, the film is considered "a bona fide classic" (Maltin) and was voted the greatest British film of all time in the British Film Institute's 1999 survey. - Stamp of ownership of Kenneth D. Shimmin to pastedown. Minor edgewear, foot of spine lightly scuffed, edges lightly toned. Internally clean and tight, all edges trimmed, text block edges slightly toned. Dust jacket unclipped, minor edgewear, somewhat sunned, small tear to front spine fold (7 mm). A good copy. - Miller 26a.